Part 6
Wesley was sitting in his room humming as he wrote an English essay, the word of his prank against Alvaro was spreading among the Warblers like wildfire and almost everyone had walked up to him and congratulated him on a job well done. Nathan and Otto declared themselves his biggest fans, which Wesley, dryly, pointed out was easy because everyone was bigger than him and that being his fan just showed how brainless they were. The two freshmen had stared at him and then went down the hall shouting:
"JERRY YOU'VE CORRUPTED HIM!"
Wesley only smiled, put his pen down and started to read through the book he'd gotten from Jerry. The older boy appeared at his door with a load of books that he had doublets of at home and didn't need. Wesley was thinking of songs to sing at his audition as well and there was one he was thinking about that would fit… and that would sound awesome in a cappella. Wesley now knew the Warblers were an a cappella choir since he saw a performance on YouTube. Philip was the lead singer and his voice just screamed soul. But… he couldn't go as high as Wesley could and Wesley was planning to show that off a little. He heard movement behind him and turned around and squeaked. Alvaro was standing there. In his room. Looking angry. Looking as if he wanted to crush something, probably Wesley's skull.
"Can I help you", Wesley asked narrowing his eyes.
"You made a fool out of me again", Alvaro said.
"I didn't do anything", Wesley said standing up. "You did it so good yourself. Who doesn't know about the plastic film protecting the smoothie?"
"I know you are behind all that's happened today shrimp!"
"What has happened today then?"
"My alarm-clock didn't ring, my pencils had all disappeared, my tie got stuck in a door, my shoelaces got tied together sometime during my study period in the library, my hair gel disappeared, my gym clothes were exchanged for clothes of someone twice my size, I've slipped on stuff and I ticked off Mark because that fucking giant were at the wrong place at the wrong time! My clock was suddenly ten minutes slow so my buddy called and told me that I was late for history. I ran all the way, pushing losers aside and he I knocked into Mark so the fucking mountain spilt his coffee all over you! I was late so I didn't give a damn about apologizing to you and he hit me for it! Then the whole mess in the cafeteria!"
"That was me getting back at you yes", Wesley said crossing his arms and glaring. "For spilling coffee all over me and that hurt!"
"Don't be such a… such a…" Alvaro struggled for a word. "Don't be such a kid!"
"I'm 12 years old!" Wesley said looking as if Alvaro was the most stupid person he'd ever met. "I am a kid!"
"Y… You know what I mean!" Alvaro shouted. "Stop messing with me!"
"Okay… first of all", Wesley grumbled. "How can I have something to do with your alarm clock not ringing?"
"You… I…" Alvaro scratched his head. "You snuck into my room!"
Wesley cocked his head to the side.
"I don't know what your dorm is or where your room is, you have a roomy I guess?"
"Yes."
"Wouldn't he have seen me?"
"I… well… okay maybe that was me but-"
"Have I been in your room or anywhere near your school stuff?"
"No…"
"So your hair gel disappearing, your pencils going missing and your gym clothes being exchanged must've been my doing?"
"Okay… that was probably not you. But who was it then…" The last he mused to himself.
"Ask Nathan and Otto", Wesley muttered, while looking to the side.
"What?"
"Nothing", Wesley said looking at him with a big grin. "The stuff you slipped on and your tie getting stuck in a door… pray tell how did I manage that?"
"How should I know?"
"Well you say it's my doing so…" Wesley shrugged.
"Uh… well you must've stolen a soap bottle from a janitor or taken a shampoo bottle from your bathroom and slammed the door shut when I walked through."
"I haven't been anywhere near you today except from the cafeteria."
"Okay so maybe you are innocent there too… but then who could it have been?"
"Lucas or Jerry?"
"Yeah right", Alvaro spat and sat down on Wesley's bed. "As if those two stiffs would manage that."
"Well they did", Wesley muttered to himself.
"What was that?"
"Nothing", he grinned at Alvaro. "And besides Ms. Lincoln nearly keeps me under lock and key so when would I be able to skip class to get you?"
"Probably never…" Alvaro sighed and got up. "Right… um sorry for spilling coffee on you… and for accusing you for something you clearly didn't do."
"It's okay… um sorry for getting you to get that smoothie dropped onto your face…" Wesley mumbled and rubbed his arm.
"Well I… uh… well I was to blame for that as well I guess. I shouldn't have provoked you or taken your smoothie… or listened to you for that matter."
"No kidding", Wesley said sarcastically.
"Well", Alvaro clapped his hands together. "See you around pipsqueak, keep out of my way okay?"
He walked out of the room.
"My name's not pipsqueak!" Wesley yelled at him furious.
"Well you are one so I call it as I see it", Alvaro said and closed the door but Wesley heard him mutter:
"Now if I can just figure out how someone tied my shoelaces together in the library…"
The door closed.
"Oh geez I don't know", Wesley spat at it. "Maybe you should try to not fall asleep in your chair when a certain pipsqueak has a lesson in the room that overlooks you. If you didn't fall asleep I wouldn't have been able to walk over when I had to use the bathroom and I wouldn't have had to crawl underneath the table and tie them together. Geez." He kicked at the door and then turned to his desk. Wesley had been behind the shoelaces being tied together... well he was the one doing it. The rest was his ideas but he got some help. Nathan and Ottor bribed Alvaro's roomy to help them take his stuff and mess with his alarm. Mark let them borrow his gym-clothes and Lucas and Jerry were behind the slippery stuff and door closing on Alvaro's tie. Jerry had stood behind the open door and when Alvaro walked out of the room he closed it, without the impassive look leaving his face. Alvaro's friends were too scared of him and Mark to say anything to Alvaro about it.
"And how hard can it be to same my name?" Wesley grumbled kicking his desk. "My name is Wesley Montgomery. Not shrimp, pipsqueak, Jerry-junior, munchkin, dwarf, hobbit, mini-Jerry, dwarf-hobbit or Asian hobbit! It's Wesley. How hard can it be to say Wes-ley Wes-ley, Wesley, Wesley, Wesley! It's not hard to say! So how come no one can say it! I'm not kid! Or squirt! Or shrimp! I'm Wesley! Wesley, Wesley, Wesley!"
"Dementia is creeping lower down in the ages I hear", a voice said behind him and he saw Lucas sit on his bed. "But I never imagined a twelve year old having it."
"How did you get in here? When did you get in here", Wesley asked glaring at the boy slightly. Lucas kept… materializing behind him whenever he, Wesley, was somewhere. Lucas was always behind him, sitting on something. It made it damn hard to determent how tall he was. And Wesley wanted to know! Because Lucas kept calling him Shorty and Wesley wanted a good comeback about Lucas' height… but the guy never stood up!
"Through the door", Lucas said smiling. "What did you think?"
"That you are like a zit that keeps popping up out of nowhere", Wesley spat in annoyance and Lucas laughed. "Stop laughing!"
"Why you are funny", Lucas said. "You got a quick tongue."
"It was the only way to defend myself at my old school since fighting wasn't allowed…"
"So why have you kept it at bay here then?"
"Because everyone here is at least twice my size and I'm scared they'll hit me if a use it… and I don't have many good comebacks."
"Yet", Lucas said and looked at his wrist watch. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Shit!" Wesley squeaked and took his bag and hurriedly left to get to the Warbler Hall.
Wesley was fidgeting as he sat in the room feeling all eyes on him. Nathan and Otto sat on each side of him and Nathan put his arm around the small boy's shoulders.
"Don't worry", he whispered. "You'll do great."
Wesley merely nodded and watched as Jerry sat down between two boys at a small table. The trio started to sort some papers out and Wesley turned to Otto with a questioning look on his face.
"That's the Warblers council", Otto whispered to him, leaning down slightly to do so. "The Warblers don't have a coach like other Glee Clubs. We have three students, usually upper classmen that calls all the shots. We all get to vote about most things but the council makes the final calls. But if they can't agree they ask for a vote among all Warblers."
"But", Wesley looked confused. "How can that be, they're three."
"Yes but Jerry as chairman has two votes", Nathan whispered. "He can also veto everything if he wants to go dictator on us."
"He only did once", Otto said with a small smile. "Nate and I wanted us to perform outside of Dalton. To liven up the group some!"
The last he said loud enough for everyone to hear and most boys chuckled but Jerry narrowed his eyes and pointed at Otto with a thin silver thing.
"I've told you once and I'll tell you again Otto", he said sharply. "The Warblers haven't performed in an informal setting since 1927, when the Spirit of St. Louis overshot the tarmac and ploughed through seven Warblers during an impromptu rendition of Welcome to Ohio, Lucky Lindy."
"Oh I get it", Wesley mumbled and Otto stared at him.
"Really? Because I'm sure as he-"
"Ah hum", Jerry cleared his throat in a warning way.
"-ck doesn't."
"Dalton is an old school", Wesley said and ignored all eyes looking at him. "And everyone here seems to be… superstitious."
"No!" Jerry said. "We are not superstitious!"
"Says the guy who never puts his keys on a table, never walk underneath ladders, spit over his shoulder when he sees a black cat cross the street and throws salt over his shoulder when he spills it", Lucas said calmly and everyone laughed and Wesley smirked.
"And that comes from a boy who always click his pen three times before anything he does or else he fears no pen in the school will work", Wesley said innocently and the room was quiet before everyone started to laugh.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at Wesley who only smirked back at him. Suddenly the loud laughter was interrupted by a high, shrill sound that caused Wesley to jump in his seat and land in Otto's lap. The boy laughed and hugged the horrified boy close. Wesley blushed as he noticed everyone look at him, he might just have squeaked in terror as well.
"See", the boy that was secretary said and looked at Jerry. "That whistle is evil!"
"Shut up Austin", Jerry said and put that silver whistle way. Wesley glared at the wicked thing. He hated whistles. "Now, Brad what is on the agenda today?"
"Well we have a performance at the next pep rally to prepare", Brad said from Jerry's left side, right from Wesley's view. "And we have to start thinking about songs for sectionals and auditions for the solo."
"Philip will get it of course", Austin said smiling at said boy who grinned back.
"But still auditions are going to be held", Jerry said. "So start looking for songs to sing."
"Well speaking of auditions", Brad cut in before anything could be said. "We have one today right?"
At once everyone turned to look at Wesley who was sitting on Otto's lap still. The boy looked at Otto.
"Are you auditioning today too", he asked and everyone laughed at his confused and utterly adorable look. The last part was the thought of many of the boys.
"Nope", Otto said.
"But everyone's looking at you", Wesley pointed out.
"No they're looking at you. You're auditioning today remember?"
Wesley blushed.
"Oh right… sorry…" he blushed tomato red and all boys laughed and Wesley shot a goofy grin at Jerry who just shook his head.
"Well", the chairman said and everyone looked at him. "Come on Wes show us what you got."
"Um… okay", Wesley got up slowly. "But… can… can I have some help?"
"What kind of help", Austin asked narrowing his eyes. Was the boy going to cheat?
"I-if you f-f-feel l-like it c-could you join in", Wesley mumbled shyly. "A-after-"
"Of course", Mark said getting up and taking the papers Wesley was holding in his hands. He looked through the notes and handed them out to four of the boys. Wesley then turned to the small portable stereo in the room. He put in a CD he'd borrowed from the library, he got his idea from there, pressed play and started to sing. (Wesley, Warblers, Wesley and Warblers)
Oh hooo whoa oh hooo
Let me tell you know
Ho hooo
When I had you to myself
I didn't want you around
Those pretty faces always made you
Stand out in a crowd
But someone picked you from the bunch
One glance was all it took
Now it's much too late for me
To take a second look
Oh baby give me one more chance
To show you that I love you
Won't you please send me back in your heart
Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go
Let you go baby
But now since I see you in his arms
I want you back
Yes I do now
I want you back
Ooh ooh baby
I want you back
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah
I want you back
Na na na na
Trying to live without your love
Is one long sleepless night
Let me show you girl
That I know wrong from right
Every street you walk on
I leave tear stains on the ground
Following the girl
I didn't even want around
Let me tell you know
Oh baby all I need is one more chance
Show you that I love you
Won't you please send me back in your heart
Oh darlin', I was blind to let you go
Let you go, baby
But now since I've seen you in his arms
Oh ho
The rest of the Warblers got up and started to do backup singing and Philip walked up to Wesley grinning.
Abuh buh buh buh
All I want!
Abuh buh buh buh
All I need!
Abuh buh buh buh
All I want!
Abuh buh buh buh
All I need!
Philip put his hands on Wesley's shoulders and sang: (Wesley, All, Warblers, Philip)
Oh, just one more chance
To show you that I love you
Baby baby baby baby baby baby!
I want you back
Forget what happened then
I want you back
And let me live again!
Oh baby, I was blind to let you go
But now since I've seen you it is on
I want you back
Spare me of this cost
I want you back
Give me back what I lost!
Oh baby, I need one more chance, ha
I'd show you that I love you
Baby, oh! Baby, oh! Baby, oh!
I want you back!
I want you back!
When the song was over everyone turned to Austin, Brad and Jerry. They were the only Warblers that hadn't joined and were still sitting. Wesley felt Philip's grip on his shoulders tighten a bit and he looked up. Philip was glaring at the council for some reason. The glow in his eyes spoke of a challenge. Jerry smirked and stood up. Everyone watched him anticipation and then… he started to applaud and grin.
"WHOO!" Nathan cheered and everyone started to applaud and the rest of the council let their masks drop and stood up too, grinning and cheering. Wesley blushed and Philip hugged him.
"Wes Montgomery, welcome to the Warblers!" Jerry called over the noise and everyone cheered louder. Wesley was aware of someone picking him up and spinning him around. He realized it was Otto.
"That's our boy!" Nathan shouted from somewhere.
"We have to do that at the assembly!" someone shouted and Wesley grinned the biggest grin ever. Feeling happier than ever before. Jerry winked at him, Nathan and Otto were still hugging him, Justin nodded at him, Mark smiled at him, Austin winked at him, Brad grinned at him, Philip gave him the thumbs up but Lucas… Wesley couldn't see him among all boys and that made him smirk.
TBC
Warblers Wes' first year:
Seniors – Mark, Jerry (chairman), Scott, Bastian, Brad, Fredric & Richard
Juniors – Peter, Michael, Philip (lead singer), Charles, Lucas, Brad(councilman)
& Ethan
Sophomores – Joseph, William, Roger, Matt, Austin (councilmember secretary), Justin/Justine,
Reed, Malcolm & Tom
Freshmen – Nathan, Otto, Julian, Mitch, Eric, Carl & John – 29
Answer to non-members' (or not signed in members') reviews:
Paula - Sorry for the long wait, I just had to finish To Take The Blame first.
Lizzi47 - I'm happy you like it and that you think Wes is cute. He has to be a bit of a crybaby since he's never had anyone caring for him, but he's getting over it quite fast, with all the boys around him that wants to help ;)